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patrons

I set up this page to request support to help complete a project that could transform our ideas of who or what we are.

A quick question to begin...

What
would a sane response be if, both individually and collectively, we became
aware that we were afflicted with a progressive dementia- like neurological
condition, one that left us almost blind to its existence and that resulted in
our being mired in a spectrum of severely compromised senses and abilities and
seriously dysfunctional behaviour that affected absolutely everything we are
doing?

Would there be no change or would we perform an emergency stop, drop
everything and urgently prioritise the diagnosis of the condition and begin
treating it?

Have we lost our symbiotic mind?

I
have been developing a theory explaining why our distant ancestors evolved an
incredibly rare symbiotic brain that exhibited exceptional abilities,
extraordinary perception and a sense of self the lies almost beyond our current
comprehension.
The same theory presents a clear diagnosis as to why our symbiotic brain has
quite literally been eroding away with its associated traits and abilities
having virtually disappeared.
This has left us in an extremely delusional and self destructive state of mind
and yet we are blind to the severity of the situation.
Finally and most importantly, if the above diagnosis is accurate, it offers a
powerful combination of treatments that can begin to quickly restore the kind
of abilities and sense of self alluded to in ancient mythological and spiritual
traditions.
If the theory is valid and the project is successful it will have a huge impact
on how we as a species perceive ourselves and respond to the enormous
challenges we face.

In the early 1990's I started a
project which tried to make sense of why we humans behave as if we are
mad. I concluded quite quickly that
there was something seriously messed up with our brain.
A slowly worsening dementia- like condition with an insidious perceptual twist
that becomes ever more difficult for us to recognise has greatly limited our
perception and afflicted us with very dysfunctional and self-destructive mode
of behaviour.

At a fundamental level we have lost the capacity to experience and recognise
who or what we are.
The idea that a serious problem with our brain could explain our collective
behaviour is a challenging one. It does however make for a compelling diagnosis
and if as it appears the condition is treatable. An accurate diagnosis also
offers a rapid and transformative human scale solution to the overwhelming
symptoms such a condition would inevitably create.

The condition is the result of 'post symbiotic reversion', see below...

Objectives

If the theory or diagnosis of a serious neurological condition is anywhere
near accurate then the biggest challenge is how to effectively communicate
this, given that any such theory would predict our capacity to recognise such a
condition to have been severely compromised.

Raise and address the question of our collective sanity with specific reference
to a serious neurological condition.

Collaborate to articulate and communicate the theory in elegant and accessible
formats to initiate the widest possible debate; this is a skill I do not have.

First phase

New web site, 'Children of the Forest' (under construction)

Restoration of a couple of older web sites that were recently lost; They
provide substantial context and relevant data.

Collaboration on an academic paper.
An outline of humanity's symbiotic origins.

Collaboration on a new book
'Children of the Forest'
'The Symbiotic Origins of Humankind'

Develop proposals for one or more documentaries on symbiotic origins, several
interested parties.

Develop new graphics to demonstrate neural expansion and juvenilisation as a
function of symbiosis.

Develop an animated summary of the basic theory and mechanisms.

Experiments develop a protocol to test key elements of theory.

Second Phase

Collaboration
on an academic paper.
An outline of post symbiotic reversion.

Collaboration on a new book
'Dying to Believe'
(Post Symbiotic Reversion Syndrome, A Diagnosis of the Human Condition)

Develop proposal for a documentary on post symbiotic reversion.

Develop new graphics to demonstrate neural erosion and asymmetric maturation as
a result of post symbiotic reversion.

Third Phase

If
these initial phases go well then quite obviously the focus will shift to
treatment and prevention. However without a clear and compelling diagnosis
there is unlikely to be significant awareness or interest in potentially simple
solutions.

Some context

Our
sense of who and what we are, our perception, cognitive ability and behaviour
are effectively a function of the precise neural architecture and specific
neuro-chemical regime of our brain.

There is compelling evidence that the neural architecture and the
neuro-chemical regime of our brain has changed out of all recognition.

Summary

Our
distant mammalian ancestors formed a symbiotic relationship with the
juvenilising reproductive organs of the angiosperms.
The symbiotic relationship modified and juvenilised our mammalian
neuro-endocrine system.
The combined effect eventually resulted in the proliferation and accelerating
expansion of an increasingly juvenile and relatively undifferentiated new brain
(neo-cortex).
Our neo-cortex was effectively a hybrid, part mammal, part plant, a complex
emergent structure entirely the product of symbiosis.
As an emergent structure our neo-cortex was completely dependent on the
symbiotic relationship with the angiosperms reproductive organs to maintain its
unique neural architecture and hybrid neuro-chemical regime.
Any emergent traits, perceptual abilities or enhanced sense of self associated
with our symbiotic neo-cortex would also be completely dependent on maintaining
the complex molecular ecology that the symbiotic relationship with the
angiosperms reproductive organs provided.
When the symbiotic relationship broke down our juvenile physiology began to
mature, differentiate and revert to that of a more typical mammal.
The structure of our neo-cortex also began to mature, differentiate and revert
to that of a more typical mammal.
Genetic asymmetry between the cerebral hemispheres resulted in the left
hemisphere maturing, differentiating and reverting much more quickly than the
right hemisphere.

A bit more detail...

These
are somewhat dense and rough outlines of some of the key pieces of the jigsaw.
They will need quite a bit of unpacking to create a clearer picture. The
objective of this project is to do just that, create a range of accessible
formats making the case that a serious but treatable neurological condition
underlies the serious flaws in our perception and the kinds of dissonant
beliefs, society and culture that inevitably result.

Specifically I have proposed that our ancestral mammalian genome with its
genetically asymmetric mammalian brain was effectively immersed in the most
complex molecular ecology biological evolution has ever created. An
increasingly entangled symbiotic relationship via the sustained ingestion of
angiosperm reproductive organs resulted in a unique and rare form of
co-evolution that would eventually have a huge impact on our basic physiology
and particularly our brain and associated sense of self.

The trans-generational effects over evolutionary time scales are only possible
if the symbiotic relationship is sustained 24/7 which requires perpetual fruit
production. This can only happen in non seasonal equatorial forest where stable
day-length, temperature and rainfall facilitate year round fruiting.

The symbiotic relationship with the angiosperms was incredibly rich in
anti-oxidants, included a vast cocktail of neuro-active chemicals and, most
importantly of all, a flood of hormonally active compounds. These compounds
modified our basic mammalian neuro-endocrine system in part by modulating and
diluting the activity of our mammalian sex steroids. Sex steroids such as oestrogens
and testosterone are central players in all aspects of mammalian development,
structure and function and play a particularly important role in the
development and function of our brain. (Rather conveniently for an expanding
fuel hungry brain, simple neuron friendly sugar molecules were included in the
package).

The hormonally active compounds created an increasingly juvenilising and to
some degree feminising environment. This directly modified key developmental
windows by modifying the way our DNA was being expressed and that in turn
changed the structure and function of our basic physiology. The impact was
greatest on our hormonally sensitive brain.

From this very unusual mix a more juvenile form emerged with a more juvenile
and relatively undifferentiated new executive layer of neural tissue (expanding
neo-cortex). As our brain regulates our own hormone system a more juvenile
brain results in a more juvenile endocrine system. The direct juvenilising
impact of the symbiotic relationship is then augmented by a much more powerful
juvenilising effect: that of our own
endocrine system. Slowly at first but with each generation an incrementally
more juvenilising symbiotic environment emerged with the potential to form a
runaway feedback loop.

The degree that structural and functional cerebral asymmetry is expressed is
primarily a function of steroid activity. As steroid activity was progressively
modulated, the expression of cerebral
asymmetry was slowly reduced resulting in more or less uniformly juvenile
neo-cortex, particularly the rapidly proliferating most recent layers.

This pattern is still seen in our current development from juvenile (minimal
cerebral asymmetry) to mature female (more cerebral asymmetry) to masculinised
female or mature male (greatest cerebral asymmetry).

In our ancestral lineage this is what happened:
We were transformed by the angiosperms into a radically different kind
of organism with a rapidly expanding new kind of brain that had some very
unusual traits. These traits included very high cognitive function, a voracious
lifelong capacity for assimilating new experience and knowledge, a more child
like psychology including empathy, co-operation, altruism, playfulness and a
deep and profound experience of connectedness to each other and our wider
ecology.

A proliferating mass of increasingly undifferentiated neural cells opens the
door to a wholly new kind of function. Rather than functioning exclusively as
networks of information highways involved in specific roles as we currently
understand, the new executive tissue could activate or operate in unison,
behaving more like a massive single cell than billions of individual cells.

(This may relate to the developing theories that consciousness is a product of quantum coherence in sub cellular structures such as
microtubules. If this or something similar is the underlying mechanism or interface for the emergence of consciousness, then sub-cellular quantum coherence would be more likely to propagate and expand via resonance into coherent brain wide states through undifferentiated neural tissue.)

By
delaying the normal maturation and differentiation process at all stages of
early development the new brain proliferates resulting in rapid expansion. This
is where size makes a difference, while the capacity for unified and coherent
activity was the most unique trait to emerge; a greater mass of
undifferentiated neural tissue equals the potential for more powerful coherent
states.
Using the analogy of an insect’s compound eye where a mass of individual lenses
work together to facilitate a coherent image the mass of undifferentiated
neural cells light up together to facilitate our sense of self.

During typical mammalian development the juvenile window is one of great plasticity
and rapid assimilation of novel experience. The hormonal changes required for
sexual differentiation, maturation and reproduction all work at a cellular
level. The same hormones have a similar differentiating effect on the brain
reducing plasticity and limiting its ability to perceive reality and the
capacity to assimilate novel experience. What is learned during the juvenile
window becomes the default or conditioned response as the neural tissue loses
plasticity and can no longer maintain a fluid real time response, escaping the
limits of this process becomes more difficult with age. This trade off is
clearly a successful survival strategy for most species however there may be
reasons why this maturation mechanism has come back to haunt us in a very damaging
way.

By permanently inhibiting the normal maturation and differentiation process the
new brain never fully matured. It escaped the typical differentiation and
ossification process that begins to substitute perception of reality with
abstract thinking and learned or conditioned behaviour.
Increasingly freed from the limits of conditioned behaviour the new brain
operated permanently in real time and eventually reached a critical mass of
powerful coherence capable of facilitating a high resolution sense of self that
today we would describe as divine.

With co-evolving symbiotic relationships over evolutionary time scales the
boundaries between the symbiotic species can blur and one or both can become a
new symbiotic species. The structures and traits that emerge during these kinds
of symbiotic relationships such our new brain are wholly integrated and
entirely dependent on the bio-chemically rich symbiotic molecular ecology for
‘normal’ function.

Post symbiotic reversion

When
a symbiotic relationship of this kind breaks down the emergent or hybrid
structures and properties inevitably change and can start to erode or
disappear.

Whatever the cause of the breakdown, the incredibly complex and sensitive new
brain is effectively torn from its unique womb like symbiotic host where it was
completely integrated having co-evolved for millions of years.

Presuming the symbiont can survive such a major breakdown, it returns in part
to its pre-symbiotic state. In this case, because the relationship
involved an incrementally modified neuro-endocrine system, the reversion
process involving the neuro-endocrine system is not immediate but similar to
initial emergent process. i.e. slow at
first accelerating over time.

The reversion process is a complex story. If something like this did happen it
would have had a huge impact on all aspects of our physiology and particularly
our hormonally sensitive brain. It would certainly begin to explain current
neural anomalies and our very limited sense of self.

Key changes or symptoms would include

Neural structure

The
accelerating expansion of neo-cortex stalls and begins to shrink, this results
in the erosion of the most hormonally sensitive and perceptually unique
undifferentiated outer layers.

In addition to erosion the increasing exposure to a more typical mammalian
steroid regime would result in a more typical mammalian maturation and
differentiation of our brain.

The underlying genetic asymmetry between the cerebral hemispheres re-emerges as
the steroid thresholds for asymmetric expression are reached. This results in
one hemisphere maturing and differentiating more quickly than the other, and the
degree of asymmetric expression amplifying with time. It appears that it is the left cerebral
hemisphere that is more sensitive to steroid activity and has 'matured' more
quickly, losing more of its symbiotic abilities.

Neuro-chemical

95% loss of ‘symbiotic’ neuro-chemical environment

This
resulted in chronic neuro-chemical deficiency.

As the neo-cortex is an emergent structure, its essential neuro-chemical
operating environment is characterised by a combined mammalian and angiosperm
symbiotic molecular ecology. The neuro-chemical contribution from the
angiosperms is vastly more complex than the mammalian contribution. The near
complete loss of the angiosperm neuro-chemistry has had a devastating impact on
the functional capacity of the neo-cortex.

As the neo-cortex asymmetrically matures and differentiates, it reverts to a
more primitive pre-symbiotic form and its requirement for complex plant
biochemistry diminishes.
This helps facilitate the increasing perceptual dominance of the more quickly
maturing left hemisphere. The left hemispheres reducing structural capacity for
advanced function means it is no longer dependent on the extremely complex
symbiotic neuro-chemical regime for optimal function. In other words it can
operate near its ever diminishing maximum ability in chemically deficient
environments. Conversely the vestiges of neural structure that can facilitate
advanced function in the right cerebral hemisphere still require the complex
symbiotic neuro-chemistry to fully activate.

Bio-chemical

With
symbiotic organisms that share bio-chemistry the definition of endogenous and
exogenous can become blurred and all bio-chemistry can be considered
endogenous.

If our origin was symbiotic and our symbiotic host provided the greater
bio-chemical complexity, then what has been lost is as important as what
remains re functionality of whole organism.
For example human blood is typical mammalian blood, blood cells plasma etc
during our symbiotic relationship our symbiotic blood was permanently infused
with complex plant bio-chemistry.

loss of antioxidants

Neural
tissue is rich in extremely delicate fatty acids that are highly susceptible to
oxidisation. Fortunately the symbiotic ecology was flooded with a whole raft of
powerful antioxidants, when these antioxidants were lost our new brain was left
unprotected in a highly oxidising environment. Relative to our ancestral
environment our neural system is exposed to a highly oxidising environment,
resulting in oxidative stress and inflammation, ageing and degeneration. It is
also worth mentioning that our mitochondria evolved in a highly protected
environment rich in anti-oxidants. The massive loss of anti-oxidants will have
seriously impacted mitochondrial function.

95% loss of high specification construction materials

In
simple parlance this represents the near complete loss of our uniquely
bio-chemically rich diet.

Diet is really the study of advanced molecular engineering; we have one of the
most complex molecular structures we know between our ears. It was constructed from a 'diet' rich in the
most complex molecular ecology we know. That super bio-chemically rich diet, or
more accurately the highly specific molecular construction materials honed to
perfection over evolutionary time scales in a symbiotic relationship, has
entirely disappeared. That incredibly unique formula has been slowly replaced
by construction materials that have never been part of our neurological
evolution and more recently by construction materials that have never been part
of the evolution of any biological organism.

95% loss of hormonally active compounds

DNA
is considered the blueprint for building biological organisms however DNA does
not build anything on its own. The translation of DNA into structure and
function is primarily regulated by hormones and hormonally active compounds.
Varying the activity of these hormones can result in very different outcomes
from the same DNA code or genome. For example the same genome can be translated
in a foetus, a juvenile or an adult. In addition hormones dictate most of the
differences in physiology and neural structure between the sexes, so even a
small change in the hormone regime can have a very significant impact on all
aspects of growth and development.
The symbiotic relationship brought a flood of hormonally active compounds into
the evolutionary equation. These compounds had a direct and complex impact on
the transcription environment and expression of DNA, one that is only beginning
to be understood. They also modulated and diluted the effects of our powerful
mammalian hormones that delayed maturation and resulted in the proliferation of
a relatively undifferentiated new brain. The loss of these compounds had a huge
impact on all aspects of our physiology and particularly our new symbiotic
brain.

Perceptual and behavioural

The
list is inevitably very long for the following reasons.

The erosion of the most unique layers of our brain, changing the neural
architecture of what remains and losing most of the complex neuro-chemistry
essential for optimal function is a guaranteed recipe for massive change.

These are just a few examples.

Loss of what can accurately be described as our symbiotic mind.
Loss of traits and abilities we are no longer aware we had.
Increasingly difficult to access advanced traits that were once normal.
Loss of our unique capacity to perceive reality.
Perception of reality replaced by increasingly abstract descriptions of reality
that become integrated into of our sense of identity (beliefs).
Feelings overlaid and replaced by thoughts
General loss of cognitive ability (the way we define cognition will also have
changed)
Loss of more childlike psychology
Re-emergence of more typical mammalian traits such as hierarchy, competition,
aggression etc.

Emergence of a whole raft of traits that are now endemic to the left hemisphere
but due to their nature and the left hemisphere's perceptual dominance the
existence of these traits and their severity are often very difficult to
perceive subjectively.

Confabulation
Self delusion
Anosognosia
Denial
Cognitive dissonance
Degrees of fear, anxiety and paranoia with related degrees of need for
perceived control.
Strong identification and attachment with what is familiar however
dysfunctional it may be.
A frightening inability to update its subjective beliefs and abstractions of
reality regardless of any mismatch with 'objective' reality no matter how
compelling the evidence.
Etc.

Dying to believe/Left in the dark

The transition from divine experience to abstraction and belief

Coming soon...

Clues from our ancestors?

It
appears our ancestors knew we had a serious neurological and perceptual problem
and left us a legacy of universal myths and traditions alluding to some kind of
fall from grace, a perceptual disconnect and a long and steep descent into
delusion.

To try and address this they developed a range of ingenious treatments aimed at
slowing the condition and/or accessing the relics of advanced function in the
right hemisphere. These treatments can be used to diagnose the underlying
condition and seem to fall into three main categories.

1 Natural 'diet' or advanced molecular engineering, restoring some of the
incredibly rich bio-chemistry once essential for optimal development and
function and still required by the right hemisphere.

2 Inhibiting the activity of the less functional left hemisphere.

3 Stimulating the activity of the potentially more functional right hemisphere.
Combinations of all three treatments were much more effective.

One approach was to use neuro-active compounds to differentially stimulate
coherent unified neural activity in the right hemisphere, studies on LSD in the
1960's and more recently seems to support this idea.
This is a
link to a research paper from 1965 that implies the typical perceptual effects of LSD are primarily limited to the right hemisphere, LSD was administered to epileptic patients before and after temporal lobectomy.
This
video outlines recent research into the effects of LSD, it appears to stimulate more unified neural activity reminiscent of a typical juvenile brain.

In
essence our brain is maturing due to increasing exposure to our own mammalian
hormones.
In addition our new brain has lost the most complex neuro-chemical operating
environment that evolution has ever produced
Due to genetic asymmetry between the cerebral hemispheres the left hemisphere
is now ageing much more quickly than the right and suffering a greater and more
rapid loss of unique symbiotic abilities.
The hemisphere that has suffered the greatest loss of function has become
perceptually dominant adding a perceptual twist to the condition. We are
trapped peering through the more distorted perceptual lens when attempting to
self-assess

Criticisms and Weaknesses

Main criticisms thus far

Simple left right brain theory has been more or less dismissed

The time line for symbiotic forest dwelling does not fit

Coming soon...

Discussion

When assessing the existing evidence for human origins two very unusual aspects emerge.

1. It is generally accepted that humans have an unusually long juvenile period and exhibit a number of juvenile traits retaining them into adulthood. Much has been
written on the subject and some researchers have made the case that neoteny, the technical term for juvenilisation, is in some way linked to the evolution of our large brain.

By
combining these two existing theories and factoring in the real time
bio-chemical impact of ingesting plant reproductive organs on the physiology of
a typical mammal at lot of pieces begin to fit together.

If a symbiotic relationship with the reproductive organs of the angiosperms
shaped our physiology, creating a juvenilised form with a proliferating
juvenile neo-cortex and then the relationships broke down, there would
inevitably be many clues.

Vitamin C

Humans are one of a very small number of mammals unable to synthesise their own vitamin C.
Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant and
very high levels are maintained in the brain due to its susceptibility to oxidative damage. The emergence of a spectacularly large brain in a species that has lost its capacity for synthesising vitamin C makes little sense. However loss of such an essential capacity is not uncommon in symbiotic relationships and can indicate the kind of symbiotic environment that must have prevailed to allow for such a loss. Studies on primate diet reveal that during our symbiotic relationship with plant reproductive organs we were flooded with high levels of vitamin C as well as a vast cocktail of compounds that have powerful antioxidant activity. Relative to our symbiotic environment we have lost at least 95% of the vitamin C and other anti oxidant compounds.

Human reproductive system

We
humans have studied ourselves as if we are a distinct species and the product
of natural selection, hardly surprising as this approach has yielded solid
theories for the emergence and evolution of almost all species.
The study of human reproduction has thrown up some significant anomalies
compared to almost all other mammals.

While
there is ongoing discussion regarding the reason for the emergence of these
unusual traits in humans there is a solid consensus that they regulate, are
regulated by and are very sensitive to the action of hormones.
Trying to make sense of these and other traits as the product of adaptive
selection in an individual species has proved difficult. However if you factor
in what the evidence supports then things begin to fit together.
Basically there were two symbiotic reproductive systems, one mammalian and one
plant, co-evolving and effectively merging over millions of years.
Remove the bio-chemically much richer plant reproductive system from the
relationship and you are left with a reproductive system that is, relatively
speaking, chronically deficient in hormonally active plant compounds and after
millions of years suddenly flooded with typical mammalian steroidal hormones.

Synesthesia

Synesthesia exists in various forms, it is typically defined as when a person experiences an overlap in their senses, for example a person experiencing synesthesia might be able to taste colours or see sounds.

It is more common in young people, people on the
autistic spectrum and widely reported among those using psychedelics or who experience 'altered states' of consciousness.

It
makes little sense in our current state of mind that we could comprehend our
senses if they were in some way overlaid or mixed up.
However the emergence of a new symbiotic brain with new perceptual traits
capable of combining sensory input resulted in a form of synaesthesia that
could perceive reality in a much richer and higher resolution as a normal
function.
The proliferation of a new executive layer of undifferentiated juvenile neural
tissue may fit the bill.

Enteric nervous system or 'Second Brain'

The
enteric nervous system and gut brain axis are an integral part of our neural system.
Research over the last few decades has elevated our gut from a tube that digests food to a highly complex neural system that plays a major role in regulating immune function, mood and behaviour as well as assimilation of nutrition at a molecular level. It was discovered that the neural system in our gut ran on the same neuro-chemicals used by our brain.
Michael Gershon who pioneered much of this research refers to the enteric nervous system as 'The Second Brain'.

During
the evolution of our symbiotic relationship with the reproductive organs of the
angiosperms, our gut was the initial interface with the reproductive
bio-chemistry and what became the symbiotic neuro-chemical regime. As with the
cerebral brain, this rich symbiotic molecular environment became the essential
operating and neuro-chemical environment for the enteric nervous system.
In addition the enteric nervous system is home to the gut micro-biome. The gut
micro-biome is an integral part of the enteric nervous system and plays a major
role in how it operates. The specific range of bacterial species that make up
the micro-biome have a great influence on how the enteric and cerebral neural
systems operate.
The microbial species that make up the micro-biome are a mixture of inherited
species and opportunistic species. The make- up of inherited and opportunistic
species are a reflection of the kind of diet the host is eating.

The symbiotic relationship with angiosperm reproductive organs lasted millions
of years, our gut micro-biome co-evolved in the richest bio-chemical symbiotic
environment we know. As long as the relationship was stable , the inherited
micro-biome could evolve a high degree of specialisation to its symbiotic
environment. In addition the opportunistic micro-biome species would be
tailored by the same symbiotic environment. Evidence from extant forest
dwelling apes suggests that in both cases the micro-biome was extremely species
rich.

What was an integral and highly specialised part of our symbiotic neural system
has mostly been lost and replaced by a micro-biome that cannot begin to
compensate.
The symbiotic micro-biome was the product of a unique co-evolutionary process
resulting in a highly specialised neuro-assimilation system. Without the
symbiotic host the micro-biome is vastly diminished paradoxically without the
micro-biome the relationship cannot re-establish successfully as symbiosis with
reproductive organs requires complex specialist gut flora and a fully
integrated neuro assimilation system.

Human longevity

Myths
of extreme human longevity may have a basis in our symbiotic past as the normal
ageing process does not begin until the maturation process is complete. As the
symbiotic relationship with the reproductive organs of the angiosperms
inhibited all stages of maturation, we maintained a more juvenile state
throughout our lives thus diluting the normal ageing processes.

A small exercise

Imagine how we might feel, behave and think and what kind of society cultures and history would we create if the condition were real.

Try it and see if what we have created is in anyway similar

Couple of final thoughts.

Our
current neural configuration dictates our behaviour and results in varying
degrees of delusion and insanity, yet we prohibit changes that alter our
experience in positive ways while expecting positive behavioural changes from
the same neural configuration. This against a backdrop of massive detrimental
changes in our neural configuration since the breakdown of our symbiotic
relationship.

Our society is underpinned and predicated by Darwinian theory of competition,
yet our brain was the product of symbiosis...?

History

Timeline of what has been achieved and how
Why not much activity in recent years, why that is about to change.

Tiers

Mycorrhizal

$1 or more per month

I initially planned this to be the only level.

The symbiotic foundation of the forest, a huge invisible network that the forest could not survive without. Specifically a large network of small donations with potentially massive outcomes, I hope this can work though I have been persuaded to add further levels as some people have already offered more support.

I know Patreon is about benefits, in this case the benefit is being involved in a project that could have huge benefits for everyone.

Fruit

$100 or more per month

The swollen reproductive organs of the flowering trees.
Our symbiotic interface with the angiosperms that flooded our mammalian physiology with plant reproductive bio-chemistry for millions of years. The result, an emergent new brain with a symbiotic mind, part mammal, part plant.

I know Patreon is about benefits, in this case the benefit is being involved in a project that could have huge benefits for everyone.

I set up this page to request support to help complete a project that could transform our ideas of who or what we are.

A quick question to begin...

What
would a sane response be if, both individually and collectively, we became
aware that we were afflicted with a progressive dementia- like neurological
condition, one that left us almost blind to its existence and that resulted in
our being mired in a spectrum of severely compromised senses and abilities and
seriously dysfunctional behaviour that affected absolutely everything we are
doing?

Would there be no change or would we perform an emergency stop, drop
everything and urgently prioritise the diagnosis of the condition and begin
treating it?

Have we lost our symbiotic mind?

I
have been developing a theory explaining why our distant ancestors evolved an
incredibly rare symbiotic brain that exhibited exceptional abilities,
extraordinary perception and a sense of self the lies almost beyond our current
comprehension.
The same theory presents a clear diagnosis as to why our symbiotic brain has
quite literally been eroding away with its associated traits and abilities
having virtually disappeared.
This has left us in an extremely delusional and self destructive state of mind
and yet we are blind to the severity of the situation.
Finally and most importantly, if the above diagnosis is accurate, it offers a
powerful combination of treatments that can begin to quickly restore the kind
of abilities and sense of self alluded to in ancient mythological and spiritual
traditions.
If the theory is valid and the project is successful it will have a huge impact
on how we as a species perceive ourselves and respond to the enormous
challenges we face.

In the early 1990's I started a
project which tried to make sense of why we humans behave as if we are
mad. I concluded quite quickly that
there was something seriously messed up with our brain.
A slowly worsening dementia- like condition with an insidious perceptual twist
that becomes ever more difficult for us to recognise has greatly limited our
perception and afflicted us with very dysfunctional and self-destructive mode
of behaviour.

At a fundamental level we have lost the capacity to experience and recognise
who or what we are.
The idea that a serious problem with our brain could explain our collective
behaviour is a challenging one. It does however make for a compelling diagnosis
and if as it appears the condition is treatable. An accurate diagnosis also
offers a rapid and transformative human scale solution to the overwhelming
symptoms such a condition would inevitably create.

The condition is the result of 'post symbiotic reversion', see below...

Objectives

If the theory or diagnosis of a serious neurological condition is anywhere
near accurate then the biggest challenge is how to effectively communicate
this, given that any such theory would predict our capacity to recognise such a
condition to have been severely compromised.

Raise and address the question of our collective sanity with specific reference
to a serious neurological condition.

Collaborate to articulate and communicate the theory in elegant and accessible
formats to initiate the widest possible debate; this is a skill I do not have.

First phase

New web site, 'Children of the Forest' (under construction)

Restoration of a couple of older web sites that were recently lost; They
provide substantial context and relevant data.

Collaboration on an academic paper.
An outline of humanity's symbiotic origins.

Collaboration on a new book
'Children of the Forest'
'The Symbiotic Origins of Humankind'

Develop proposals for one or more documentaries on symbiotic origins, several
interested parties.

Develop new graphics to demonstrate neural expansion and juvenilisation as a
function of symbiosis.

Develop an animated summary of the basic theory and mechanisms.

Experiments develop a protocol to test key elements of theory.

Second Phase

Collaboration
on an academic paper.
An outline of post symbiotic reversion.

Collaboration on a new book
'Dying to Believe'
(Post Symbiotic Reversion Syndrome, A Diagnosis of the Human Condition)

Develop proposal for a documentary on post symbiotic reversion.

Develop new graphics to demonstrate neural erosion and asymmetric maturation as
a result of post symbiotic reversion.

Third Phase

If
these initial phases go well then quite obviously the focus will shift to
treatment and prevention. However without a clear and compelling diagnosis
there is unlikely to be significant awareness or interest in potentially simple
solutions.

Some context

Our
sense of who and what we are, our perception, cognitive ability and behaviour
are effectively a function of the precise neural architecture and specific
neuro-chemical regime of our brain.

There is compelling evidence that the neural architecture and the
neuro-chemical regime of our brain has changed out of all recognition.

Summary

Our
distant mammalian ancestors formed a symbiotic relationship with the
juvenilising reproductive organs of the angiosperms.
The symbiotic relationship modified and juvenilised our mammalian
neuro-endocrine system.
The combined effect eventually resulted in the proliferation and accelerating
expansion of an increasingly juvenile and relatively undifferentiated new brain
(neo-cortex).
Our neo-cortex was effectively a hybrid, part mammal, part plant, a complex
emergent structure entirely the product of symbiosis.
As an emergent structure our neo-cortex was completely dependent on the
symbiotic relationship with the angiosperms reproductive organs to maintain its
unique neural architecture and hybrid neuro-chemical regime.
Any emergent traits, perceptual abilities or enhanced sense of self associated
with our symbiotic neo-cortex would also be completely dependent on maintaining
the complex molecular ecology that the symbiotic relationship with the
angiosperms reproductive organs provided.
When the symbiotic relationship broke down our juvenile physiology began to
mature, differentiate and revert to that of a more typical mammal.
The structure of our neo-cortex also began to mature, differentiate and revert
to that of a more typical mammal.
Genetic asymmetry between the cerebral hemispheres resulted in the left
hemisphere maturing, differentiating and reverting much more quickly than the
right hemisphere.

A bit more detail...

These
are somewhat dense and rough outlines of some of the key pieces of the jigsaw.
They will need quite a bit of unpacking to create a clearer picture. The
objective of this project is to do just that, create a range of accessible
formats making the case that a serious but treatable neurological condition
underlies the serious flaws in our perception and the kinds of dissonant
beliefs, society and culture that inevitably result.

Specifically I have proposed that our ancestral mammalian genome with its
genetically asymmetric mammalian brain was effectively immersed in the most
complex molecular ecology biological evolution has ever created. An
increasingly entangled symbiotic relationship via the sustained ingestion of
angiosperm reproductive organs resulted in a unique and rare form of
co-evolution that would eventually have a huge impact on our basic physiology
and particularly our brain and associated sense of self.

The trans-generational effects over evolutionary time scales are only possible
if the symbiotic relationship is sustained 24/7 which requires perpetual fruit
production. This can only happen in non seasonal equatorial forest where stable
day-length, temperature and rainfall facilitate year round fruiting.

The symbiotic relationship with the angiosperms was incredibly rich in
anti-oxidants, included a vast cocktail of neuro-active chemicals and, most
importantly of all, a flood of hormonally active compounds. These compounds
modified our basic mammalian neuro-endocrine system in part by modulating and
diluting the activity of our mammalian sex steroids. Sex steroids such as oestrogens
and testosterone are central players in all aspects of mammalian development,
structure and function and play a particularly important role in the
development and function of our brain. (Rather conveniently for an expanding
fuel hungry brain, simple neuron friendly sugar molecules were included in the
package).

The hormonally active compounds created an increasingly juvenilising and to
some degree feminising environment. This directly modified key developmental
windows by modifying the way our DNA was being expressed and that in turn
changed the structure and function of our basic physiology. The impact was
greatest on our hormonally sensitive brain.

From this very unusual mix a more juvenile form emerged with a more juvenile
and relatively undifferentiated new executive layer of neural tissue (expanding
neo-cortex). As our brain regulates our own hormone system a more juvenile
brain results in a more juvenile endocrine system. The direct juvenilising
impact of the symbiotic relationship is then augmented by a much more powerful
juvenilising effect: that of our own
endocrine system. Slowly at first but with each generation an incrementally
more juvenilising symbiotic environment emerged with the potential to form a
runaway feedback loop.

The degree that structural and functional cerebral asymmetry is expressed is
primarily a function of steroid activity. As steroid activity was progressively
modulated, the expression of cerebral
asymmetry was slowly reduced resulting in more or less uniformly juvenile
neo-cortex, particularly the rapidly proliferating most recent layers.

This pattern is still seen in our current development from juvenile (minimal
cerebral asymmetry) to mature female (more cerebral asymmetry) to masculinised
female or mature male (greatest cerebral asymmetry).

In our ancestral lineage this is what happened:
We were transformed by the angiosperms into a radically different kind
of organism with a rapidly expanding new kind of brain that had some very
unusual traits. These traits included very high cognitive function, a voracious
lifelong capacity for assimilating new experience and knowledge, a more child
like psychology including empathy, co-operation, altruism, playfulness and a
deep and profound experience of connectedness to each other and our wider
ecology.

A proliferating mass of increasingly undifferentiated neural cells opens the
door to a wholly new kind of function. Rather than functioning exclusively as
networks of information highways involved in specific roles as we currently
understand, the new executive tissue could activate or operate in unison,
behaving more like a massive single cell than billions of individual cells.

(This may relate to the developing theories that consciousness is a product of quantum coherence in sub cellular structures such as
microtubules. If this or something similar is the underlying mechanism or interface for the emergence of consciousness, then sub-cellular quantum coherence would be more likely to propagate and expand via resonance into coherent brain wide states through undifferentiated neural tissue.)

By
delaying the normal maturation and differentiation process at all stages of
early development the new brain proliferates resulting in rapid expansion. This
is where size makes a difference, while the capacity for unified and coherent
activity was the most unique trait to emerge; a greater mass of
undifferentiated neural tissue equals the potential for more powerful coherent
states.
Using the analogy of an insect’s compound eye where a mass of individual lenses
work together to facilitate a coherent image the mass of undifferentiated
neural cells light up together to facilitate our sense of self.

During typical mammalian development the juvenile window is one of great plasticity
and rapid assimilation of novel experience. The hormonal changes required for
sexual differentiation, maturation and reproduction all work at a cellular
level. The same hormones have a similar differentiating effect on the brain
reducing plasticity and limiting its ability to perceive reality and the
capacity to assimilate novel experience. What is learned during the juvenile
window becomes the default or conditioned response as the neural tissue loses
plasticity and can no longer maintain a fluid real time response, escaping the
limits of this process becomes more difficult with age. This trade off is
clearly a successful survival strategy for most species however there may be
reasons why this maturation mechanism has come back to haunt us in a very damaging
way.

By permanently inhibiting the normal maturation and differentiation process the
new brain never fully matured. It escaped the typical differentiation and
ossification process that begins to substitute perception of reality with
abstract thinking and learned or conditioned behaviour.
Increasingly freed from the limits of conditioned behaviour the new brain
operated permanently in real time and eventually reached a critical mass of
powerful coherence capable of facilitating a high resolution sense of self that
today we would describe as divine.

With co-evolving symbiotic relationships over evolutionary time scales the
boundaries between the symbiotic species can blur and one or both can become a
new symbiotic species. The structures and traits that emerge during these kinds
of symbiotic relationships such our new brain are wholly integrated and
entirely dependent on the bio-chemically rich symbiotic molecular ecology for
‘normal’ function.

Post symbiotic reversion

When
a symbiotic relationship of this kind breaks down the emergent or hybrid
structures and properties inevitably change and can start to erode or
disappear.

Whatever the cause of the breakdown, the incredibly complex and sensitive new
brain is effectively torn from its unique womb like symbiotic host where it was
completely integrated having co-evolved for millions of years.

Presuming the symbiont can survive such a major breakdown, it returns in part
to its pre-symbiotic state. In this case, because the relationship
involved an incrementally modified neuro-endocrine system, the reversion
process involving the neuro-endocrine system is not immediate but similar to
initial emergent process. i.e. slow at
first accelerating over time.

The reversion process is a complex story. If something like this did happen it
would have had a huge impact on all aspects of our physiology and particularly
our hormonally sensitive brain. It would certainly begin to explain current
neural anomalies and our very limited sense of self.

Key changes or symptoms would include

Neural structure

The
accelerating expansion of neo-cortex stalls and begins to shrink, this results
in the erosion of the most hormonally sensitive and perceptually unique
undifferentiated outer layers.

In addition to erosion the increasing exposure to a more typical mammalian
steroid regime would result in a more typical mammalian maturation and
differentiation of our brain.

The underlying genetic asymmetry between the cerebral hemispheres re-emerges as
the steroid thresholds for asymmetric expression are reached. This results in
one hemisphere maturing and differentiating more quickly than the other, and the
degree of asymmetric expression amplifying with time. It appears that it is the left cerebral
hemisphere that is more sensitive to steroid activity and has 'matured' more
quickly, losing more of its symbiotic abilities.

Neuro-chemical

95% loss of ‘symbiotic’ neuro-chemical environment

This
resulted in chronic neuro-chemical deficiency.

As the neo-cortex is an emergent structure, its essential neuro-chemical
operating environment is characterised by a combined mammalian and angiosperm
symbiotic molecular ecology. The neuro-chemical contribution from the
angiosperms is vastly more complex than the mammalian contribution. The near
complete loss of the angiosperm neuro-chemistry has had a devastating impact on
the functional capacity of the neo-cortex.

As the neo-cortex asymmetrically matures and differentiates, it reverts to a
more primitive pre-symbiotic form and its requirement for complex plant
biochemistry diminishes.
This helps facilitate the increasing perceptual dominance of the more quickly
maturing left hemisphere. The left hemispheres reducing structural capacity for
advanced function means it is no longer dependent on the extremely complex
symbiotic neuro-chemical regime for optimal function. In other words it can
operate near its ever diminishing maximum ability in chemically deficient
environments. Conversely the vestiges of neural structure that can facilitate
advanced function in the right cerebral hemisphere still require the complex
symbiotic neuro-chemistry to fully activate.

Bio-chemical

With
symbiotic organisms that share bio-chemistry the definition of endogenous and
exogenous can become blurred and all bio-chemistry can be considered
endogenous.

If our origin was symbiotic and our symbiotic host provided the greater
bio-chemical complexity, then what has been lost is as important as what
remains re functionality of whole organism.
For example human blood is typical mammalian blood, blood cells plasma etc
during our symbiotic relationship our symbiotic blood was permanently infused
with complex plant bio-chemistry.

loss of antioxidants

Neural
tissue is rich in extremely delicate fatty acids that are highly susceptible to
oxidisation. Fortunately the symbiotic ecology was flooded with a whole raft of
powerful antioxidants, when these antioxidants were lost our new brain was left
unprotected in a highly oxidising environment. Relative to our ancestral
environment our neural system is exposed to a highly oxidising environment,
resulting in oxidative stress and inflammation, ageing and degeneration. It is
also worth mentioning that our mitochondria evolved in a highly protected
environment rich in anti-oxidants. The massive loss of anti-oxidants will have
seriously impacted mitochondrial function.

95% loss of high specification construction materials

In
simple parlance this represents the near complete loss of our uniquely
bio-chemically rich diet.

Diet is really the study of advanced molecular engineering; we have one of the
most complex molecular structures we know between our ears. It was constructed from a 'diet' rich in the
most complex molecular ecology we know. That super bio-chemically rich diet, or
more accurately the highly specific molecular construction materials honed to
perfection over evolutionary time scales in a symbiotic relationship, has
entirely disappeared. That incredibly unique formula has been slowly replaced
by construction materials that have never been part of our neurological
evolution and more recently by construction materials that have never been part
of the evolution of any biological organism.

95% loss of hormonally active compounds

DNA
is considered the blueprint for building biological organisms however DNA does
not build anything on its own. The translation of DNA into structure and
function is primarily regulated by hormones and hormonally active compounds.
Varying the activity of these hormones can result in very different outcomes
from the same DNA code or genome. For example the same genome can be translated
in a foetus, a juvenile or an adult. In addition hormones dictate most of the
differences in physiology and neural structure between the sexes, so even a
small change in the hormone regime can have a very significant impact on all
aspects of growth and development.
The symbiotic relationship brought a flood of hormonally active compounds into
the evolutionary equation. These compounds had a direct and complex impact on
the transcription environment and expression of DNA, one that is only beginning
to be understood. They also modulated and diluted the effects of our powerful
mammalian hormones that delayed maturation and resulted in the proliferation of
a relatively undifferentiated new brain. The loss of these compounds had a huge
impact on all aspects of our physiology and particularly our new symbiotic
brain.

Perceptual and behavioural

The
list is inevitably very long for the following reasons.

The erosion of the most unique layers of our brain, changing the neural
architecture of what remains and losing most of the complex neuro-chemistry
essential for optimal function is a guaranteed recipe for massive change.

These are just a few examples.

Loss of what can accurately be described as our symbiotic mind.
Loss of traits and abilities we are no longer aware we had.
Increasingly difficult to access advanced traits that were once normal.
Loss of our unique capacity to perceive reality.
Perception of reality replaced by increasingly abstract descriptions of reality
that become integrated into of our sense of identity (beliefs).
Feelings overlaid and replaced by thoughts
General loss of cognitive ability (the way we define cognition will also have
changed)
Loss of more childlike psychology
Re-emergence of more typical mammalian traits such as hierarchy, competition,
aggression etc.

Emergence of a whole raft of traits that are now endemic to the left hemisphere
but due to their nature and the left hemisphere's perceptual dominance the
existence of these traits and their severity are often very difficult to
perceive subjectively.

Confabulation
Self delusion
Anosognosia
Denial
Cognitive dissonance
Degrees of fear, anxiety and paranoia with related degrees of need for
perceived control.
Strong identification and attachment with what is familiar however
dysfunctional it may be.
A frightening inability to update its subjective beliefs and abstractions of
reality regardless of any mismatch with 'objective' reality no matter how
compelling the evidence.
Etc.

Dying to believe/Left in the dark

The transition from divine experience to abstraction and belief

Coming soon...

Clues from our ancestors?

It
appears our ancestors knew we had a serious neurological and perceptual problem
and left us a legacy of universal myths and traditions alluding to some kind of
fall from grace, a perceptual disconnect and a long and steep descent into
delusion.

To try and address this they developed a range of ingenious treatments aimed at
slowing the condition and/or accessing the relics of advanced function in the
right hemisphere. These treatments can be used to diagnose the underlying
condition and seem to fall into three main categories.

1 Natural 'diet' or advanced molecular engineering, restoring some of the
incredibly rich bio-chemistry once essential for optimal development and
function and still required by the right hemisphere.

2 Inhibiting the activity of the less functional left hemisphere.

3 Stimulating the activity of the potentially more functional right hemisphere.
Combinations of all three treatments were much more effective.

One approach was to use neuro-active compounds to differentially stimulate
coherent unified neural activity in the right hemisphere, studies on LSD in the
1960's and more recently seems to support this idea.
This is a
link to a research paper from 1965 that implies the typical perceptual effects of LSD are primarily limited to the right hemisphere, LSD was administered to epileptic patients before and after temporal lobectomy.
This
video outlines recent research into the effects of LSD, it appears to stimulate more unified neural activity reminiscent of a typical juvenile brain.

In
essence our brain is maturing due to increasing exposure to our own mammalian
hormones.
In addition our new brain has lost the most complex neuro-chemical operating
environment that evolution has ever produced
Due to genetic asymmetry between the cerebral hemispheres the left hemisphere
is now ageing much more quickly than the right and suffering a greater and more
rapid loss of unique symbiotic abilities.
The hemisphere that has suffered the greatest loss of function has become
perceptually dominant adding a perceptual twist to the condition. We are
trapped peering through the more distorted perceptual lens when attempting to
self-assess

Criticisms and Weaknesses

Main criticisms thus far

Simple left right brain theory has been more or less dismissed

The time line for symbiotic forest dwelling does not fit

Coming soon...

Discussion

When assessing the existing evidence for human origins two very unusual aspects emerge.

1. It is generally accepted that humans have an unusually long juvenile period and exhibit a number of juvenile traits retaining them into adulthood. Much has been
written on the subject and some researchers have made the case that neoteny, the technical term for juvenilisation, is in some way linked to the evolution of our large brain.

By
combining these two existing theories and factoring in the real time
bio-chemical impact of ingesting plant reproductive organs on the physiology of
a typical mammal at lot of pieces begin to fit together.

If a symbiotic relationship with the reproductive organs of the angiosperms
shaped our physiology, creating a juvenilised form with a proliferating
juvenile neo-cortex and then the relationships broke down, there would
inevitably be many clues.

Vitamin C

Humans are one of a very small number of mammals unable to synthesise their own vitamin C.
Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant and
very high levels are maintained in the brain due to its susceptibility to oxidative damage. The emergence of a spectacularly large brain in a species that has lost its capacity for synthesising vitamin C makes little sense. However loss of such an essential capacity is not uncommon in symbiotic relationships and can indicate the kind of symbiotic environment that must have prevailed to allow for such a loss. Studies on primate diet reveal that during our symbiotic relationship with plant reproductive organs we were flooded with high levels of vitamin C as well as a vast cocktail of compounds that have powerful antioxidant activity. Relative to our symbiotic environment we have lost at least 95% of the vitamin C and other anti oxidant compounds.

Human reproductive system

We
humans have studied ourselves as if we are a distinct species and the product
of natural selection, hardly surprising as this approach has yielded solid
theories for the emergence and evolution of almost all species.
The study of human reproduction has thrown up some significant anomalies
compared to almost all other mammals.

While
there is ongoing discussion regarding the reason for the emergence of these
unusual traits in humans there is a solid consensus that they regulate, are
regulated by and are very sensitive to the action of hormones.
Trying to make sense of these and other traits as the product of adaptive
selection in an individual species has proved difficult. However if you factor
in what the evidence supports then things begin to fit together.
Basically there were two symbiotic reproductive systems, one mammalian and one
plant, co-evolving and effectively merging over millions of years.
Remove the bio-chemically much richer plant reproductive system from the
relationship and you are left with a reproductive system that is, relatively
speaking, chronically deficient in hormonally active plant compounds and after
millions of years suddenly flooded with typical mammalian steroidal hormones.

Synesthesia

Synesthesia exists in various forms, it is typically defined as when a person experiences an overlap in their senses, for example a person experiencing synesthesia might be able to taste colours or see sounds.

It is more common in young people, people on the
autistic spectrum and widely reported among those using psychedelics or who experience 'altered states' of consciousness.

It
makes little sense in our current state of mind that we could comprehend our
senses if they were in some way overlaid or mixed up.
However the emergence of a new symbiotic brain with new perceptual traits
capable of combining sensory input resulted in a form of synaesthesia that
could perceive reality in a much richer and higher resolution as a normal
function.
The proliferation of a new executive layer of undifferentiated juvenile neural
tissue may fit the bill.

Enteric nervous system or 'Second Brain'

The
enteric nervous system and gut brain axis are an integral part of our neural system.
Research over the last few decades has elevated our gut from a tube that digests food to a highly complex neural system that plays a major role in regulating immune function, mood and behaviour as well as assimilation of nutrition at a molecular level. It was discovered that the neural system in our gut ran on the same neuro-chemicals used by our brain.
Michael Gershon who pioneered much of this research refers to the enteric nervous system as 'The Second Brain'.

During
the evolution of our symbiotic relationship with the reproductive organs of the
angiosperms, our gut was the initial interface with the reproductive
bio-chemistry and what became the symbiotic neuro-chemical regime. As with the
cerebral brain, this rich symbiotic molecular environment became the essential
operating and neuro-chemical environment for the enteric nervous system.
In addition the enteric nervous system is home to the gut micro-biome. The gut
micro-biome is an integral part of the enteric nervous system and plays a major
role in how it operates. The specific range of bacterial species that make up
the micro-biome have a great influence on how the enteric and cerebral neural
systems operate.
The microbial species that make up the micro-biome are a mixture of inherited
species and opportunistic species. The make- up of inherited and opportunistic
species are a reflection of the kind of diet the host is eating.

The symbiotic relationship with angiosperm reproductive organs lasted millions
of years, our gut micro-biome co-evolved in the richest bio-chemical symbiotic
environment we know. As long as the relationship was stable , the inherited
micro-biome could evolve a high degree of specialisation to its symbiotic
environment. In addition the opportunistic micro-biome species would be
tailored by the same symbiotic environment. Evidence from extant forest
dwelling apes suggests that in both cases the micro-biome was extremely species
rich.

What was an integral and highly specialised part of our symbiotic neural system
has mostly been lost and replaced by a micro-biome that cannot begin to
compensate.
The symbiotic micro-biome was the product of a unique co-evolutionary process
resulting in a highly specialised neuro-assimilation system. Without the
symbiotic host the micro-biome is vastly diminished paradoxically without the
micro-biome the relationship cannot re-establish successfully as symbiosis with
reproductive organs requires complex specialist gut flora and a fully
integrated neuro assimilation system.

Human longevity

Myths
of extreme human longevity may have a basis in our symbiotic past as the normal
ageing process does not begin until the maturation process is complete. As the
symbiotic relationship with the reproductive organs of the angiosperms
inhibited all stages of maturation, we maintained a more juvenile state
throughout our lives thus diluting the normal ageing processes.

A small exercise

Imagine how we might feel, behave and think and what kind of society cultures and history would we create if the condition were real.

Try it and see if what we have created is in anyway similar

Couple of final thoughts.

Our
current neural configuration dictates our behaviour and results in varying
degrees of delusion and insanity, yet we prohibit changes that alter our
experience in positive ways while expecting positive behavioural changes from
the same neural configuration. This against a backdrop of massive detrimental
changes in our neural configuration since the breakdown of our symbiotic
relationship.

Our society is underpinned and predicated by Darwinian theory of competition,
yet our brain was the product of symbiosis...?

History

Timeline of what has been achieved and how
Why not much activity in recent years, why that is about to change.

Recent posts by Tony Wright

Tiers

Mycorrhizal

$1 or more per month

I initially planned this to be the only level.

The symbiotic foundation of the forest, a huge invisible network that the forest could not survive without. Specifically a large network of small donations with potentially massive outcomes, I hope this can work though I have been persuaded to add further levels as some people have already offered more support.

I know Patreon is about benefits, in this case the benefit is being involved in a project that could have huge benefits for everyone.

Fruit

$100 or more per month

The swollen reproductive organs of the flowering trees.
Our symbiotic interface with the angiosperms that flooded our mammalian physiology with plant reproductive bio-chemistry for millions of years. The result, an emergent new brain with a symbiotic mind, part mammal, part plant.

I know Patreon is about benefits, in this case the benefit is being involved in a project that could have huge benefits for everyone.